PETA is looking to talk turkey with President Barack Obama, slamming the pardoner-in-chief for “pimping for poultry producers” and urging him to set an example by enjoying a vegan Thanksgiving.
Days before President Obama holds his annual pardoning of the official Thanksgiving turkey, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing the president of “pimping” for the poultry industry and supporting an industry that will kill more than 45 million turkeys in preparation for Thanksgiving. PETA sent both a video and a letter to the group asking the President to advocate for a “new Thanksgiving tradition, a healthy, humane, eco-friendly vegan Thanksgiving.”
“As president, you don’t endorse soft drinks or shoes, so please stop promoting an industry that wreaks havoc on the health of the American people, contributes to environmental devastation, and abuses millions of animals every year,” the letter, written by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, states.
The plea goes on, saying these “smart, sensitive birds” deserve “some respect” and not a “presidential endorsement of their suffering.”
“Please discontinue this pathetic, outdated promotion of a violent, environmentally irresponsible, and unhealthy industry,” Newkirk writes.
The White House announced Friday President Obama would pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey on Wednesday. This year’s pardoned turkey and its alternative were born and bred near Badger, Minn.
Though President Obama officially pardons two turkeys each year, U.S. News’ Nikki Schwab reported the two turkeys pardoned in last year’s ceremony, Cobbler and Gobbler, died in February.
PETA spokesman David Perle said they “died less than a year because of medical conditions — which include heart failure — directly related to these cruel factory-farming practices.”
Check out PETA’s video below. And read PETA’s full letter to President Obama here.
